Somehow it's the end of another term, and what's more the final Epiphany term that I'll be spending in Durham. I really have no idea where the time has gone but it's honestly been one of the best terms of my university experience so far so I wanted to capture it here as usual.
One of the highlights of the term was the geography ball which I attended with my friends in early February. It was an absolutely amazing night, from the venue to the meal to the dancing, and it was a really lovely way to round up our three years together - and get lots of photos!
Later in February one of my best friends visited from her year abroad for a few days and we hung out a LOT, just shopping and going to cafés and catching up - even though we'd seen each other fairly recently when I went to visit her in Paris in the New Year! But it was lovely to see her again and show her my little house as she hadn't seen it before.
In terms of my actual degree, things have been going well. In fact, this term I received 100% on two assignments! If you're not familiar with the British university system, there are four grade classifications: 40-49% is a 3rd, 50-59% is a 2:2, 60-69% is a 2:1 and 70%+ is a 1st. It's pretty hard to get over 70% - especially in a social sciences degree when everything is so subjective - but I managed to get full marks on two separate occasions! I don't usually brag about grades but this really was a big deal for me and I'm proud of myself for making such progress over the course of my degree as I definitely wasn't getting those kinds of marks in first year. To be honest when I got the first one I majorly freaked out and nearly cried with happiness because that assignment was worth the whole of the module mark so it's really going to stand me in good stead. The second assignment was actually only formative - meaning that it doesn't contribute to anything - but it was still really nice to have as a confidence boost, especially as I wrote it on The X-Files and feminist geopolitics (aka two of my favourite things).
The other major thing that happened was the series of lecturer strikes which took place at a number of universities around the UK, including Durham. The background reasoning behind the strikes is quite complicated but it is primarily about proposed changes to pension schemes which are likely to hit academics quite hard in the future, but it has expanded to concern the current state of higher education more broadly. On a practical level the strikes meant that I didn't have any lectures, seminars or tutorials for the last 4 weeks of term which was weird as it felt like term ended early, although it did mean I had more time to work on assignments including my dissertation. Having read up on it I personally support the strikes and on a couple of occasions I joined my lecturers on the picket line at the entrance to the main campus and even took in strike-themed cupcakes on one day. I also attended a student-staff solidarity event in Durham Miners' Hall which was incredibly interesting. In the long run, however, the strikes have created a lot of uncertainty for students, especially those in final year such as myself, and all the more so as another round of strikes are planned for next term. This means exams and other assessments are likely to be impacted which *could* affect whether we're able to graduate or not. This level of industrial action within higher education is totally unprecedented so no one is entirely sure what the implications are but I suppose we've just got to trust that some mitigating arrangements will be put in place in time.
Apart from that it's been another lovely term of living with my lovely housemates. We've had some really great times, from quiet evenings in watching Black Mirror to house meals out and a formal dinner at my college together. It's just such a lovely environment to live in and I've realised how much I'm going to miss them all next year. Speaking of next year, in exactly three months time we'll (hopefully, strikes permitting) be graduating! After that I'll be leaving Durham to do a Masters course somewhere else in the UK - I'm not sure where yet but I have finally submitted my applications and got references sorted so I'm just waiting to hear back from one more before I make a decision.
I have mixed emotions about next term at the moment. On the one hand I can feel the usual stress/sense of impending doom around exams, dissertation deadline and the assignments I have yet to start - so I can't wait for all that to be over and done with. But on the other hand I'm definitely not quite ready for my three years in Durham to come to an end and to say goodbye to all the friends I've made and the places I've come to call home. It's going to be emotional, that's for sure, but luckily I have a whole 5 weeks between my last exam and graduation to make the most of the end of my degree.
The other major thing which I haven't even mentioned here is that I've just got back from a fieldtrip to Jerusalem - there's a whole separate post on that coming soon!
x
